Nikkor P Auto 180mm f/2.8 PRE-AI Manual
Focus Telephoto / Portrait Lens. Mint-. Tested. See Test Images.
See
high res images taken with this lens on a Youtube video...
Introduction
This is a
near pristine example of one of Nikon's high quality lenses from the 1970's and
1980's when Nikon didn't make anything except high quality pro lenses. This
one, lens number 325207, was number 5,189 in a total manufacturing run of just
15,982 units of the Nikkor P Auto 180mm f2.8 lens made by Nikon Japan between
1971 and January 1974. This one was made about four fifths of the way through
the production run, and therefore, we can therefore be pretty confident that it
was made just under a third of the way through the production run around January
1972. The front cap is the beautiful solid aluminium Nikon 72N item.
Key features
It has
fantastic optical and mechanical performance (see the pictures attached and at
the Dropbox link further down) in a reasonably compact package. Ken Rockwell
rates this as one of the all time best Nikon lenses, and one can see why from
my test results. It weighs 890g. This 180mm is extremely well made, having far
better optical and mechanical properties than the more modern AF lenses Nikon
makes today.
See full
review of this lens on Ken Rockwell's lens review page.
Lens
compatibility
This lens is
PRE-AI, so it won't mount on post 1977 Nikon AI film cameras or any of the current
Nikon digital camera range. It works perfectly with all Nikon film cameras made
prior to 1977 such as the Nikon F1, F2 and Nikkormats. It works brilliantly on
Mirrorless cameras like the Sony A7R II test camera.
For further
reading on the subject, please visit Ken Rockwell's most instructive website on
the subject
Overall Lens
Condition: Mint-
Mechanical/Cosmetic:
Mint-
The lens is
in near pristine mechanical and cosmetic condition. It is unmarked bar a few
tiny rubs on the body that need a magnifying glass to be seen clearly. It looks
almost new. The hood action is perfect and the felt hood lining is perfect. The
focus ring action is buttery smooth with no play in the action. The painted lettering
is bright and completely intact. The aperture ring is unmarked and free moving
and the iris blades are nice and snappy. The iris is in perfect condition and
free of oil. The bayonet mount is in excellent condition.
Optical: Mint-
Not a lot to
say here. There are a few tiny bits of dust in the lens, but much, much less
than one would expect in a lens of this age. The optics are otherwise flawless.
This lens produces punchy, colourful and contrasty images as can be seen from
the test images. The front and rear elements are pristine, the Nikon L1B filter
having done its job of protecting the front element.
Image
quality
Image
quality is superb. This lens starts dead sharp and carries on that way! The Ken
Rockwell review explains the characteristics of this lens in some detail. The
images attached attest to the quality he sees. I took the images on a Sony A7R
II 42.4MP Mirrorless camera. It also works flawlessly on my Nikon film cameras,
but I wanted to show off the astounding resolution the lens is capable of and
also to show its full-frame capability. The 100% crop (when viewed on your PC
screen at about 10" across would be equivalent to a full-size print of
about 8 feet by 5 feet.
The Ebay
Upload Images
The test
images were shot in and around the St Pauls area of Birmingham, UK. The first image
is of the northbound entrance to the St. Chad’s Tunnel. It was shot wide open
at f/2.8. The next two images are centre and edge crops at 100%. They are
needle sharp and contrasty, and CA is almost nonexistent. The next two images
are of the same scene, but this time they are 100% centre and edge crops at
f/5.6. They are just about perfect. The next two images of the BT Telecom Tower
against the sky were shot wide open and at f/5.6 respectively. The next two images
are 100% crops. One can see a small amount of CA around the white microwave
dishes at f/2.8, but it’s very well controlled. By f/5.6 is perfect. The next image of the crane tower was shot at
f/8 and the crop is again at 100%. The final image of the traffic camera shot
wide open shows the lovely smooth Bokeh and DOF that this lens generates.
The Youtube
Images
On Youtube,
I have published a series of images of the tunnel entrance from f/2.8 all the
way through to f/32. I've taken 100% centre and edge crops at various apertures.
They are excellent. There's very little aberration wide open. It just carries
on being very sharp all the way down to f/32. It's still exceptionally good
even closed right down. There is very little Vignetting wide open. This is a
very good lens.
I've also
included an f/2.8 collection of some other shots taken in and around
Birmingham. They are all excellent and they show off the superb Bokeh that this
lens creates. There are also a couple shot at f/5.6 and f/8
What's in
the box?
Lens, Nikon
L1B 72mm filter, Nikon 72N solid aluminium front cap. Nikon rear lens cap.